A Tale of Two Cities.

So finally after 22 hours up in the sky (and three questionable breakfasts over 3 different continents) we finally arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday. Bleary eyed me and Greg wandered through passport control, quickly picking up our rucksacks and headed off to Christchurch city centre.

Our bus pulled up by Hagley Park passing the mass of rugby pitches & the fan zone dome. Getting our bearings we decided to explore the city centre, intriguingly we where greeted with steel fences everywhere.

Confused we wandered around some more to find a gap in the fence for us to get into the area that seemed to be the main part of the city. Then we realised that this was no puzzle- It was the red zone, the area that was at the epicentre of the 6.3 magnitude quake. I was surprised to see so many of the buildings in the epicentre where still unstable. Most shocking of all where the bars & café’s just by the Avon which had significant damage to them.

Many of these bars & café’s would have been brimming with England fans before the kick-off for our first match against Argentina. But after the devastation from the 22nd of February quake deemed the Lancaster Park stadium was unstable and so two of England’s group games have now been moved to Dunedin.

It’s certainly a shame for me as I was excited to explore New Zealand’s second largest city. But it seems that the red zone severely dented my plans. On a brighter note, it was great to see Lewis Moody & Martin Johnson on the T.V jetting into Christchurch on Wednesday to visit some school children who where affected by the disaster. I’m sure the earthquakes will not deflate the passionate Christchurch support for the Rugby World Cup.

With Christchurch’s disappointing loss came ultimately Dunedin’s gain. After exploring the city this morning you can certainly feel a buzz of excitement with England in town. All over the city the shops have some form of Rugby World Cup decorations.

The Octagon square in the centre of the city is the main hive of activity with a few Argentina & England fans milling about this afternoon. We also managed to spot members of the England coaching staff enjoying a spot of lunch in the square.

Speaking of which Martin Johnson named his first   team for the game against Argentina on Saturday today (Thursday). With Johnny Wilkinson as expected is taking the number 10 jersey, along with Tuilagi partnering Tindle in the centre. Delon Armitage is replacing the injured Mark Cueto on the wing.              

Aside from team news the highlight was visiting the Forsyth Barr Stadium which was undergoing final preparations before the big kick off on Saturday. I have to say its impressive nestled on the edge of the bay and I expect a vibrant atmosphere in two days time. Let’s just hope England can get the result to kick off there Rugby World Cup campaign.

Mitch

Follow all our latest movements on Twitter!